Jonin Council Meeting.
The clean, spacious chamber was already packed with people.
A few whispered quietly among themselves. Though the Hokage had yet to arrive, it was clear that this was no ordinary meeting—this wasn't going to be simple.
Just judging from the turnout alone made that obvious.
Aside from a few Jonin who were injured or stationed at the borders, nearly every Jonin in the village was present.
"Jonin Kato, what's your take on all this?"
A tall man with a vertical scar running down his face turned to the man beside him—a Jonin with long, pale blue hair.
"Jonin Komugime," Kato said calmly, "I imagine Lord Third summoned us to discuss the state of the shinobi world. The other hidden villages have been acting a little... restless lately."
"Exactly. The shinobi world might look peaceful on the surface, but that's all it is—an illusion. Hmph, that bastard Troy from Kumogakure... this scar—next time, I'll make sure to repay him!"
Komugime scowled. That shinobi from Kumogakure had used his Magnet Release to sneak attack him just as he was about to lose. If not for Kato's warning, things might've turned out much worse.
Because of that, Komugime held a great deal of respect for Kato—almost like a lifesaver.
Squeak—
The sound of a door sliding open interrupted the chatter. Hiruzen Sarutobi entered the room, flanked by his advisors and students. With that, the Jonin Council meeting officially began.
Sarutobi started by repeating the intelligence he'd previously shared in his office, followed by outlining two contingency plans. In short: accelerate the training of Genin and ramp up the pace of mission assignments.
It was all in preparation for war—bolstering military power and gathering war funds.
After all, how do you fight a war without money? Were they supposed to poke explosive tags with dull kunai?
"Now then, if anyone has any ideas, feel free to speak."
As soon as he finished, Tsunade stood up.
A ripple of motion followed her as she rose—her ample figure swaying gently. The sight caused a group of newly promoted Jonin to quickly avert their eyes, blushing furiously.
Kato Dan was equally shaken, his pale blue eyes fixed unblinking on the radiant woman ahead.
"I propose we establish a dedicated medical division," Tsunade said. "Using our current hospital system as a foundation, we should focus on training more medical-nin to reduce casualties among Konoha's forces."
Though many in the room were hesitant to back her, Kato Dan didn't hesitate to speak up in support.
Impulsively, he stood—just as Jiraiya had been about to rise to support his teammate. Caught off guard, Jiraiya awkwardly sank back into his seat. Kato, however, didn't notice.
"I believe Tsunade-sama's proposal is both logical and necessary. It could save many of our comrades."
"Too often, our shinobi don't die immediately in battle—they die from the lack of medical support. That's why her proposal is essential."
His well-reasoned argument made several Jonin nod in agreement. Many of them had served as team leaders—they knew all too well the helplessness of watching a student die in front of them.
Support grew steadily from there.
Some backed the idea out of empathy. Others simply followed the lead of their friends and allies.
"In that case, I support it too."
"Same here."
As the votes evened out, only Jiraiya and Orochimaru had yet to speak. But under Tsunade's sharp, meaningful gaze, the two finally cast their votes in favor.
Sarutobi didn't object. At most, it meant requesting a bit more funding from the Daimyo.
And with his reputation and Tsunade's strong ties to the Fire Daimyo's household, there was a good chance the funds would come through.
Fine. Let Tsunade go wild with this one.
...
After the meeting ended, Tsunade ran into Kato Dan on the way out.
"Tsunade-sama."
Kato greeted her with a warm smile. His gentle demeanor and flowing pale blue hair gave him a refined, dignified air.
"If I'm not mistaken—Jonin Dan?"
Tsunade had a good impression of the man who'd been the first to stand up for her during the meeting.
There was something soft-spoken and courteous about him. And maybe it was the faint resemblance to Nawaki, but Tsunade found herself treating him with a bit of warmth.
"Yes, I'm Kato Dan. And I truly believe the proposal you made earlier was vital..."
He spoke with sincere passion, and his conversation quickly drew Tsunade in. Before long, she was laughing softly, clearly enjoying herself.
The two looked like they were getting along quite well.
...
"Unbelievable... Since when is Tsunade such a proper lady? Right, Orochimaru?"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru had just shared a drink and happened to spot the pair talking.
Seeing Kato Dan with Tsunade made Jiraiya feel a strong sense of crisis.
That guy was just as handsome as him—and way too quick on the uptake. At this rate, how was Jiraiya ever going to win her over?
"If you're drunk, go sleep it off."
Orochimaru didn't even glance at him. He was used to Jiraiya's antics by now.
He still couldn't believe he'd once agreed to play along with Jiraiya's ridiculous "hero saves the damsel" scenarios as kids. What nonsense.
Orochimaru walked off without another word, leaving Jiraiya standing alone in the wind.
...
"Hey, hey, hey—Orochimaru! Don't go! Come on, just one more drink...!"
...
"Whew... so, Minato, do you admit defeat or what?"
Uchiha Kaien was sitting on top of Namikaze Minato, pinning him down like a couple of kids wrestling in a schoolyard.
Both of them were gasping for air—clearly exhausted from their sparring match.
"I give up! Kaien, get off me already!"
Minato quickly surrendered.
He was wiped out. No one could have guessed that Kaien would insist on going all-out in taijutsu this time.
Minato had actually been pretty confident at first.
In his mind, Kaien excelled at long-range tactics—more of a turret-style fighter. While Kaien's taijutsu wasn't weak, it had never matched Minato's.
But this time... Kaien shut that notion down hard.
Relying on his massive chakra reserves, Kaien had forced a close-range contest of speed, using Body Flicker Jutsu again and again. Even though Minato was a master of the technique, he simply couldn't keep up with Kaien's enhanced body and stamina.
Despite his delicate appearance, Kaien's physical stats—boosted by the system—were far above Minato's, allowing him to overpower him completely.
"You don't look like you've surrendered."
Minato was still squirming, trying to get free. Kaien responded by tightening his grip slightly, keeping him firmly pinned.
Minato stared up at Kaien's face—so close he could see every pore, every bead of sweat as it slid down Kaien's cheek and dropped onto his chest.
It only made Minato more flustered.
"Okay, okay! I give up! For real this time, Kaien—let me go!"
"You sure? Alright then... I'll believe you this once."
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(I've recently started working on an Naruto fanfic with a simulation system. They are very popular now on Webnovel, but the recommendations do not promote my fanfic well, I recommend you to check out "Naruto: I Am Crazy with the Simulation System!" You can find the fanfic through my profile on the site)
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